Celebration of Light raises nearly $4,000 for Ladysmith Food Bank

Stef Lang performs during Friday night’s Celebration of Light at the Eagles Hall.

Late Friday night after all the musicians had performed, the crowd had gone home and everything had been cleaned up, Lisa Burness stood at the back of the Eagles Hall and thought “what a community.”

Burness is a member of the band Skellig, which organized the Celebration of Light, and the event raised close to $4,000 for the Ladysmith Food Bank.

“We were touched by the amount of people who turned up and the amount of people who supported it,” said Burness. “We want to thank everyone who was there and all the unsung heroes.”

This was the third year for the event, and it completely sold out.

“It was festive, it was fun-filled, and it was a good way for the community to come together to recognize an ongoing need,” said Burness. “It was also a good chance to recognize the ongoing efforts of food bank volunteers week after week. The other thing that blew me away was how smooth it all went. There were a lot of unsung heroes.”

The Celebration of Light raised more than $3,800 for the Ladysmith Food Bank, and Burness says money’s still coming in. She isn’t sure how much food was donated, but she’s thrilled to give cash to the food bank.

“It’s good for them to have cash so they can buy fresh produce,” she said. “I think there are so many people who are using the food bank across town.”

Local musicians gave their time to perform, and the Eagles donated the hall. As well, Starbucks employees volunteered to serve warm drinks, and baked goods were donated.

“We didn’t have to pay for anything; everything was donated,” said Burness.

Burness hopes to expand the event next year so that everyone who wants tickets will get them.